Jiangshan Fengwuzhi

Chapter 256 Newcomers
The sunlight illuminates the mountain scenery, creating a serene and beautiful landscape, though it feels somewhat lonely.

Zi Cang waved his hand at the sunlight, and snow began to fall from the sky.

Before long, a stone gate gradually appeared, with a long stone staircase in front of it, which was covered with snow from the moment it appeared.

Zi Cang wrapped his purple robe tighter around himself and walked toward the stone gate.

Gu Jingnian and the others followed behind. He gestured for Hu Jingnan, Yan Da, and A Meng to stay away, and quietly told Ying Yao about the matter that Zi Cang had entrusted to him.

"Stealing things?" Yingyao answered readily. "Sure, don't worry, young master, I've stolen before. Before I was captured by the caged people, I was a thief."

"be careful."

More than her expertise in stealing, Yingyao was concerned about entering the realm and asked, "Young Master, can I really become a realm person?"

“Let’s go, it’s safer than in Central Plains.”

"If I become a member of this realm, won't I be better able to protect you, young master?" Yingyao asked. "Can we bring your sister here as well?"

Gu Jingnian did not answer directly, only saying, "I don't know yet."

He looked up and saw Zi Cang, who was walking ahead, turn around and glance back, clearly having overheard their conversation.

After walking a little further, they saw another purple-clad figure standing on the stone steps.

Before long, the two purple-clad figures overlapped, leaving only a somewhat lonely figure.

At this moment, Yingyao also saw Zicang and asked Gu Jingnian in a very low voice, "Young Master, is this person a bad person?"

"Bad people?" Gu Jingnian pondered for a moment before replying, "What kind of good people and bad people are there?"

"He told me to steal something."

"At least they didn't kill us, nor did they refine us."

“That’s true.” Yingyao thought for a moment and gave a summary, “Then he prefers people more.”

"I couldn't be worse."

Zi Cang suddenly looked at them and said something indifferently.

After saying that, he put his hands behind his back with an air of arrogance and glanced coldly at Gu Jingnian, as if to say that his goal was to rule Zhongzhou and drive everyone, and it would not be an exaggeration to call him the greatest villain in the world, so how could he be a good person?

Gu Jingnian, however, thought of something.

Previously, the old Womin seemed very eager to protect Yingyao and even gave her a wooden plaque. However, when Yingyao actually asked for help, the old Womin was busy refining the nine-headed serpent.

Compared to relying on the protection of the old Womin, it would be more suitable for Zi Cang to exchange benefits with them honestly and trustworthyly.

As for good people or bad people, Gu Jingnian no longer cares.

They didn't continue the discussion and crossed the stone gate together.

The scenery inside the gate changed.

There was nothing else in the world but the vast snowfield, presenting a pure white scene.

The snow-covered plain was silent, appearing exceptionally still, but if you listened carefully, you could almost hear the sound of snow falling.

"Ugh."

Zi Cang sighed, clearly disliking the place.

He took an umbrella from somewhere, walked forward, and left a trail of footprints.

Ahead, a small three-story building gradually came into view, standing alone on the snowfield, giving it a sense of being isolated from the world.

Wind chimes hung from the eaves of the small building, but they didn't ring when the wind blew by until Zi Cang approached, at which point they made a clear, crisp sound.

Zi Cang pushed open the door and led everyone inside.

The small building was fairly warm, as there was no wind and a brazier.

The three people were sitting around the brazier talking. They were Old Womin, Shougu, and the fierce old woman that Gu Jingnian would later encounter.

"Senior is still here." Zi Cang said, "The foreign enemies have been driven away, Senior can return to the orchard."

"Drive them away?" Old Womin said. "In the past thousand years, no one has ever broken into this territory and escaped unscathed."

“Only one has appeared in over a thousand years, which isn’t many,” Zi Cang said casually.

The fierce old woman turned her head and glanced at Gu Jingnian and the others. Seeing that A Meng obediently closed the door, she no longer paid them any attention and began to speak.

“We are the strongest people in Zhongzhou, but recently, first, Father Park crossed the gap, then Longxushui was killed, and then outsiders broke into the border, and we couldn’t even subdue the Nine-Headed Serpent… All of this shows that there is a problem with the border, and a big problem at that.”

Zi Cang said, "We've become complacent."

The fierce old woman said, "I'm afraid it can't be explained by the word 'laziness' alone."

"Too lax," Zi Cang said again, his eyes showing an even stronger sense of boredom and languor.

Old Womin shook his head and said, "I heard that someone in the realm has contacted the extraordinary people of Zhongzhou, wanting to become the ruler of Zhongzhou."

Zi Cang remained nonchalant upon hearing this, saying, "It's like a monk wanting to return to secular life; it's understandable." The fierce old woman asked, "You also believe it's true?"

"I hope so," Zi Cang said. "Who is it? Let him count me in."

"Don't joke around," the fierce old woman said. "Recent events are probably related to a traitor within the realm. We need to find this person first."

Old Womin asked, "Who do you think it is?"

Zi Cang said, "It's probably not the two of you, perhaps it's Brother Zhuo?"

The fierce old woman said, "In short, the three of us are the least suspicious, and the Realm Lord knows this as well."

Zi Cang smiled and turned to look at Gu Jingnian and the others.

It was clear that one of them might suddenly say, "The traitor is Zi Cang," but he didn't care at all, instead saying, "Why wouldn't it be the three of us?"

The fierce old woman said, "Old man, you've lived so long, you've long since grown indifferent to power and wealth; I'm just a woman, my ambitions lie elsewhere; as for you, you've had everything in your 'past,' why would you be tempted by worldly things?"

Shougu raised her hand and interjected, "What about me?"

Zi Cang sneered, "Even your dog is more suspicious than you."

As they were talking, footsteps sounded from the stairs. Soon after, a figure wearing a mask and a black cloak came down. This must be the Realm Lord.

The three beings sitting by the brazier did not get up, but simply greeted each other.

It is evident that the realm is not strictly hierarchical; the people within the realm are more like companions.

"Were both intruders dealt with?"

The realm lord spoke, but strangely, his voice was neither male nor female, young nor old.

The vicious old woman said, "I have captured Shen Jichi."

Zi Cang said, "I had captured Liu Yuchuan and imprisoned him in my furnace to refine him, but... for some reason, he escaped. What I can confirm is that he has escaped beyond the boundary."

Old Womin was still uneasy and asked, "How can you be sure?"

Zi Cang did not defend himself, but said, "Senior can search through each realm one by one."

The Realm Lord seemed to believe Zi Cang and did not ask any further questions about the matter. Instead, he turned to Ying Yao and beckoned her over.

As if by some strange force, Yingyao involuntarily stepped forward.

"Indeed, it is of phoenix blood."

The Realm Lord murmured something and asked bluntly, "Has Zi Cang told you about this?"

"Yes."

Yingyao dared not think about Zicang asking her to steal things, fearing that the Realm Lord would find out, and she didn't even dare to raise her head.

Over there, Zi Cang seemed completely unconcerned. He took a persimmon from somewhere and placed it on the brazier to roast.

"Then I'll ask you one more time," the Realm Lord said. "Are you willing to join the Realm, to live forever within it, guarding the Seven Star Array, and ensuring that the Central Plains and the Barbarian Seas do not invade each other?"

In a small wooden hut, a simple question is asked, which turns out to be the only ritual of the most powerful sect in Zhongzhou.

"I……"

Yingyao turned her head, glanced at Gu Jingnian, and then replied, "Okay."

"Give me your hand."

The Lord of the Realm stretched out his hand, the back of which was wrapped in a black protective sheath, revealing only his very long fingers and unusually white skin.

Yingyao hesitated for a moment before placing her hand on the Realm Lord's hand.

The next moment, she shuddered, and the fiery wings on her back instantly unfurled, transforming her into the shape of a fire phoenix.

But it was just a fleeting illusion and did not cause any harm to the cabin or the people inside.

Gu Jingnian had excellent eyesight, and in that instant, he saw that the Realm Lord also had fiery wings unfolding on his back.

"All right."

Before Gu Jingnian could voice his doubts, the Realm Lord spoke again.

"From now on, you are a world person. You can choose to live in a world, or you can create your own world. That will be your own world, which you will rule."

Yingyao looked confused and asked, "What do I need to do?"

“I will teach you myself,” the Realm Lord said. “However, there is one more thing before that.”

"what?"

The Realm Lord turned to look at Gu Jingnian and said, "I will untie the blood-bound connection between you and Gu Jingnian."

(End of this chapter)